Let’s face it. We are problem solvers. Our IT organizations excel at identifying and deploying solutions. But why are we still witnessing waste and inefficiency even with highly agile delivery teams? Part of the challenge lies at the front-end of the value stream, in clearly defining the problem, identifying desired outcomes and remaining flexible enough to incorporate feedback as the team adapts.
It is necessary that teams have the right skills to assess and balance trade-offs between technology solutions and the needs of the end user and to prioritize feedback. Product Development organizations typically possess these skills, often associated with product management and product ownership, however, IT organizations may lack them. An option to fill this gap is to include people with skills from the fields of User Experience, Service Design, Human-Centered Design and/or Design Thinking.
Why? Because the best UX thinkers are system thinkers who can research and articulate user needs within the context of complex tasks and ecosystems, down to the granularity of the usability of a single mobile interaction. Many UX practitioners are borrowing from Service Design to present journey maps highlighting business opportunities that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. UX is also borrowing from Design Thinking to guide ideation exploring multiple solutions.
IT teams that incorporate UX thinkers early in the value stream are more effective at assessing and prioritizing feedback which helps bring alignment across stakeholders, users, and the project team. This alignment brings efficiency and cohesion to IT projects, greatly increasing the chances of project success.
